Judging
people and their potentialis an
essential aspect of good leadership for which there is no substitute. Consequently,
it is a role which leaders must not ignore or carry out in a cavalier
fashion.

Why
is this responsibility so important?Finding, hiring, and retaining good managers and employees is of
course a prerequisite for building any successful organization. At a minimum,
it helps get the right people into the enterprise. Moreover, getting the best
people in the right jobs, while moving those who are poorly positioned,
contributes enormously to the achievement of enterprise goals and objectives.

Unfortunately,
many companies are handicapped by patterns of bad judgment in assigning
people to their roles or jobs. Consequently, managers often end up expending
more of their valued time and energy dealing with poorly placed people than
in supporting top performers. Frequently, it interferes with pressing
business needs.

Current
leaders are often believed to be the best source of finding and developing
new leaders. Hence, they are expected to identify high potential talent and
to initiate assignments and create experiences that will ultimately develop
their capabilities.

Identifying
management or leadership potential is itself judgment call. When judging the
potential of current or prospective employees, three principal concerns
usually stand out?

ØTo what
are they committed?

ØDo they
possess the essential capabilities?

ØIs their
character sound?

As
you think about your leadership
potential and these three criteria, ask yourself:

BIO
Senn speaks and consults extensively on executive management, successful
business strategies, corporate innovation, e-business, and on the
development, implementation, and management of information technology. He
interacts with businesses in many countries and writes regularly about
business strategy and high performance organizations. Senn is the author of
several leading books on management and information systems, including
Information Technology in Business, Information Systems In Management and
Analysis and Design of Information Systems. He is listed in Who's Who In
Business and Finance and Who's Who In Computer Research .